How long to stay on Ilha Grande?
Although you will feel like staying forever, deciding how long to spend on Ilha Grande depends entirely on the time you have for relaxing, exploring, and playing on the island.
The good news is that an itinerary for Ilha Grande is fully adaptable. So, even if you only have 1 day to visit the island from Rio de Janeiro, then do not miss the opportunity to see it!
However, we would definitely advise, that if you can devote more than a day trip, then a longer stay is better. This is because Ilha Grande offers countless attractions, including the wonderful dolce far niente (or “the art of doing nothing”).
Below, you will find our tips for combining tourist activities with relaxing moments over itineraries of 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 days.
We hope that our itinerary suggestions help you to decide how long to stay in Ilha Grande.
What to do on Ilha Grande? Our itinerary tips!
Things to do if you only have 1 day on Ilha Grande
If you come from Rio, you will travel 3 hours to the south to reach the island. If you manage to depart Rio by 08:30 am, then you can reach Conceição de Jacareí for a boat getting you to Ilha Grande around 11:30 am.
If you do not know how to get from Rio to Conceição de Jacareí, you can read about our transfer service from different parts of the city, which includes your boat ticket to Ilha Grande! Or see our article: How to get to Conceição do Jacareí
The last boat departs from Ilha Grande at 5:30 pm, which means that you can enjoy 6 hours on the island.
Our must-see things if you only have one day are:
- visit Lopes Mendes beach, considered one of the best beaches in the world;
- explore the island town of Abraão and its surroundings;
- visit the ruins of the aqueduct;
- have lunch at one of the seaside restaurants, like the Pé na Areia or the Rei da Moqueca.
Things to do in 2 days on Ilha Grande
If you have 2 days and 1 night on the island, our tips are:
Day 1
- visit Lopes Mendes beach;
- explore Abraão and its surroundings, getting to know the local shops, restaurants, and nightlife in the town.
Day 2
- take a boat trip! Consider a half-day cruise to get to know such places as the Blue Lagoon, or take a full-day tour around the island visiting some of the more remote beaches.
If you take a boat trip, just remember that you will need to be back in Abraão by 5:30 pm for the last boat leaving Ilha Grande!
Things to do in 3 days on Ilha Grande
If you have three days on Ilha Grande, then consider the above itinerary for the first two days, then on the third, take the opportunity to:
- go hiking some trails like the Vila do Abraão circuit or the Poção and Aqueduto circuit;
- rent a bike and make the Lazareto circuit, to the Lazareto ruins and old prison;
- climb up to the mountain peak called the Pico do Papagaio and see the island from many beautiful angles.
Things to do in 5 days on Ilha Grande
Finding out what to do in 5 days on Ilha Grande will be easy: in addition to being able to calmly take advantage of the tips given in the suggested itineraries above, you will also have plenty of time to enjoy the tranquility of the island’s beaches.
How about including some water sports in the itinerary? While on Ilha Grande, you can practice:
- diving;
- snorkeling;
- stand up paddle;
- surfing;
- kayaking;
- and more!
Things to do in 7 days on Ilha Grande
When trying to figure out how long to spend on Ilha Grande, you could do worse than spending an entire week in paradise. A week would be a dream come true for most, and if you are privileged enough to be able to stay that long, then you can enjoy all that the island has to offer!
- visit the nearby and remote beaches (in this case, the full-day cruise is a must);
- hike some of the longer trails, and there are some that take a whole day or two;
- enjoy camping in the middle of nature;
- visit the Green (Verde) and Blue (Azul) lagoons, plus explore the Acaiá cave;
- but make sure you take time just to soak in the island vibe and relax!
Therefore, how long should you spend on Ilha Grande?
The short answer: at least two full days. Our recommendation is to stay at least two full days to get to know the island and make unforgettable visits to the many paradisiacal beaches. Now that you’ve read our itinerary tips for Ilha Grande, deciding how long to stay is now in your hands. To make the decision, it is important to take into account all the personal factors involved, such as budget, time availability, traveling preferences, the intention of the trip, type of accommodation chosen, and so on.
The most important thing when making your discussion is to keep in mind what is the most important thing to fulfill your travel objective, whether it be resting, strolling, hiking, venturing out and beyond, or just relaxing.
And speaking of relaxing, how about advancing some decisions and making your trip even more peaceful? You can buy in advance your tickets for the crossing from Conceição do Jacareí to Vila do Abraão and guarantee your place on our FlexBoat!
Purchasing in advance allows for the following advantages:
- you won’t lose precious hours on the Pier waiting for the next boat because they sold out.
- guarantee the boat crossing at your desired time;
- also, purchase the round-trip boat ticket for your desired times;
- guarantee a special discount by booking and buying the roundtrip online;
- you won’t have to run to get to the boat before they sell out by pre-purchasing your ticket.
»» Check times and prices of speedboats to Ilha Grande and buy at a discount here!
In addition to booking your ticket for the crossing in advance and with a discount, you can also take the opportunity to know the prices and conditions of the transfer to Conceição de Jacareí with the Travessia Ilha Grande! Don’t waste any more time and get your ticket to paradise now!
